How to Read Food Labels

Our Advice

When following a gluten free diet you will invariably spend a lot of time reading food labels. There is a lot of information on packaging such as —nutritional information, ingredient list, advice on allergens, cooking instructions and storage information.

Some Rules

Rule 1:

Try to choose foods labelled 'gluten free' or foods carrying the Crossed Grain logo. For a list of Crossed Grain accredited brands and foodstuffs, please refer to our shopping guide.

Rule 2:

If you don’t see wheat, rye, barley, oats or gluten on the ingredient list on a food label then there are no ingredients derived from gluten-containing grains and the product is gluten free (applies to products manufactured in NZ and Australia only)

Rule 3:

Exceptions to Rule 2, there are some ingredients derived from wheat which are so highly processed that they contain ‘no detectable gluten’ due to processing. These include caramel from wheat, dextrose from wheat, glucose syrup from wheat* and maltodextrin.

The Most Important Rule:

If in doubt, leave it out.

*For further information regarding 2016 legislation changes regarding labelling exemptions for glucose syrup derived to wheat (and distilled alcohol from wheat or whey), please go to the FSANZ website.

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Available Resources

We have fantastic resources available to assist with label reading that new members receive for free in their member's pack. The resources below are also available at a discount price for members via our store. Please sign up, or log-in, if you would like to purchase these discounted booklets.

If you are not a Coeliac NZ member, you can also purchase these books through the online store at RRP.

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Coeliac New Zealand is available throughout your journey. As part of our community, you’ll get support, advice, and assistance. We work with health professionals, manufacturers, and researchers to raise awareness of coeliac disease in NZ.

Together, we can reach a day when every person with coeliac disease gets diagnosed quickly, lives a healthy life, and has the prospect of a cure.

Latest News

22/04/2025

Meet the experts

Register NOW for your chance to meet and hear from these clinicians who are experts in coeliac disease at one of the two FREE sessions at the Gluten Free Food Festival, Christchurch (included with the entry ticket). Professor Andrew Day, Paediatric Gastroenterologist based in Christchurch, with strong clinical research and interests in coeliac disease and other […]